Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-04-10

impatientIy whirled out, crushed in the
hand and thrown aside, maTred, scrsped
through. The notes grow fantastic and
updeCipherable. He begins to throw
sharp and defiant looks over his shoulder
at the slash of ink Oh the floor, which
sluggishly moves, drawing up its radiat-
ing splashes like a big CRAB its claws, and
edges backward near the type writer,
growing slowly into comicsl and in
sinuatipg countenauce. "COme on, you
ink spot Do you think you are anything
else? Get up countenance if you can.
Move on. Hang you. but you shan't,"
anu he starts from his chair, and drags
the desk over l., and bursts into violent
cough that leaves blood on his lips. "You,
too, would get up a look" with an airy
bow to the opposite windows, "stare
me down, irritate, set me on end,
pull your face TO Consoling
length. I'll none of your funeral looks;
lift up your countenance, If you must
have one. Sickly, simpering plant, !"
with an impatient push at the hyacinth
Jar, "you are an eyesore actually. Don't,
for the love of heaven, bend your pale
body in that IuCkless fashion and gaze
forever with that willing, c0lOrless look
10 the sun. The color lies within you,
the fragrance is bred in the seed. Fly
into the face of the sun and bloom, or
fall fiat and be done with it. pll swear,
you wear me out with your
whining looks" Then smiling forced
ly, and opening his clinched fists, he
looks at them imDtiently and shame
facedly, drops them to his sides, sits
down to the typewriter with forced quiet
ness of look, and works very slowly and
surely. But the cough is there with it's
racket, It's pain, its confusion. It's ner-
vous strain passes into his fingers, and
moves them with smiling rapidity, passes
over his body like en- electric brush,
drawing every nerve taut, fits
into his cheeks, lending full
ness, g last beauty, Struggles up
into his brain, stimulating, gOading, over
Coming the steady Calmness Of the morn
ing. He shuts his eyes for a moment,
then stares at the desk. The crab-like
ink spot creeps out; he smiles deter
minateIy, nervously, turns his back, and
writes g little faster, throws another look
over his shoulder. Out it comes, Siding
I'D grotesquely, looking knowing. He
will not look again, but hears scratch
inc On the fuOr;' he is only eraSlDg MS
own blunder, but the drunken sound falls
to his feet. He drops his eyes
such 8 lifted physiOgnOmy OF Whimsicall-
ty, puckered mirth, sly triumph meets his
gaze, HIS own face Curls Involuntary,
but he lifts his eyes in the smallest part
Of q second, and his fingers move faster.
He feels something soft, undehnable,
climbing up his leg; he losses his head,
and works so RAPIDLY that It is all one
confused clack. A few seconds of such
racing, he lifts the roller to survey his
work. Hop, splash, sprawl! the ink
spot on the paper right under
his eyes with great laugh;
from the tips Of its many legs to its wink
ing and derisive face, Haunting tri-
umphant. They look at each other and
shout He drops the roller with bang,
springs to his feet, "You wili-laughing,
mrthless, lSshed up fancy of t1il-straineo
nerves, droWsy brain and succUmbing
body, you'd scatter my senses q crouch
ing beyy, but your laugh lifts your visage
like bOX-lid. / know you, laugh with
you, l still hold my own aga nst you tC
the last, but let it come quick" He
brushes bis hand across bis forehead
wheels and stares around the room. Il
is astir, every object is a face, anC
the air is all Withdrawn from him. He
rushes to the windows, filings them wide
open, pants for breath. Brisk breeZes
and CAV gusts enter WhiTling and frCliCk
ing, Guiding the ga ping and eager lungs
con, for little breath" He thrusts
his head far out of the WiIdOW, gr2spf
and clutches at the cir like drowning
man for support, and gathers q poor
niggardly thimblefull, that grows heavy,
suilen, like a weight to be drawn up. lie
beats MS breast. "Rreak, break IN two
and be done with it" aud salt tears smart
in his hot, wild eyes. "EAere ii isl
must take it. DID l ever daWdle? l vii
not now. | give it up with one fling; bu
t Ike it at OuCe, NOT this slow dying OF
body, quenching and bewildering Of mind
fighting breath by breath, painting, hug
giug the last scRnt, faded remnant
There, | toss it On your thir
ice shoulders, Dea;h?" Then the breezes
grew kind and soft, gently entered the
la0oring lungs, soothing and Tightening
them of their burden. He si2ks down by
the window and lays his head on the sill
The deep lines of pain in his face smooth
out, and the hot flush COols. "Yes, little
blossom, know" turning to the sickly
hvaCinth, that seemed to bend and lOOh
into his eyes, to stare mutely with little
pale, purple face just opened and very
family fragrant. eyes, l know, l swear
| know the purple glory, the splendOr Of
fragrance that lay ready, waiting, but
the sun came SO late, it staid sc
short time for you. You could not, ]
know, fly into its face, you had doneyou
part. Droop, curl up your leaves;
know to wait is not always idlenesS and
eakness, and colorlessness is not failure
after al. All color lies still somewhere
it finds the sun. For you know all things
are so nearly related, and if there IS s
little error there is SO much to make il
up, and every mistake will right about
IN time, move ahead and find a place
Look pale, shriveled, anything; for l
know, | swear, it is not failure after all
tais paleness and Impress" and he
1urns his fsc9, so soft and calm, up 10 th>
restless, loving sky and the few STARS
~ have had a short comfort in lite,
have felt my cheeks against it full aGC
warm, have watched its shifting cOlCrs
like Il gay panorama, and nerved my hand
TO take lis oWn; but death you drag il
so, wear it out, make it so de
testable rag, thSn even the
masuanimity Ct giving UP rather
gcss TO the ground" and through tn
sick.y dispirisHoss Of his face CLEAN Of
humor rises. "You visa 70 exasper-